Blue Devils Set to Travel to Virginia For Top Five Matchup on Sunday...
The fourth-ranked Duke women’s soccer team (8-2-1, 2-1-1 ACC) will travel to Charlottesville, Va., this weekend for a matchup of top top-five ranked opponents as the Blue Devils will face third-ranked Virginia (9-2-1, 2-1-1) on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2:00 p.m. The contest will be aired live on ESPNU with Sam Gore (PXP) and Cat Whitehill (Color) calling the action.
Duke will play its first of two straight road contests in the state of Virginia as the Blue Devils will next travel to Blacksburg, Va., on Thursday, Oct. 4 for a 7:00 p.m., match.

The Series With Virginia...
Duke and Virginia will meet for the 33rd time in school history with the Cavaliers leading the overall series 11-14-7. In matches played in Charlottesville, Va., Duke holds a 4-7-3 mark. No current member of the Blue Devil squad has defeated Virginia as the last victory by Duke was on Nov. 20, 2008 (2-0) in the NCAA Tournament. Duke and Virginia tied, 0-0, last season, while the Cavaliers won the previous two meetings. The Blue Devils have not scored against Virginia since a 2-0 win in 2008 at UVA. In the last four contests at Virginia, Duke has scored only two goals.

A Look at Virginia...
Virginia enters the match on Sunday with a 9-2-1 overall record and 2-1-1 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers are coming off a 3-1 loss at Maryland for their first league loss of the season. Makenzy Doniak leads Virginia with seven goals and five assists for 19 points, while Caroline Miller owns seven goals and 15 points.

Weinberg On Fire...
Junior Laura Weinberg has scored goals in six out of the last seven contests and has been held scoreless in only three matches this year. She now owns 11 goals on the season, which is a new single-season record for the junior.
The 11 goals on the year ranks tied for ninth on Duke’s single-season goals list along with three other Blue Devils. The most goals in a season was 18 in 1994 by Duke’s all-time leading scorer Kelly Walbert.
Weinberg leads the ACC in points (26), goals (7), goals per game (1.0) and shots (49). Prior to the Clemson match, Weinberg ranked eighth in goals and ninth in goals per game nationally.

Noting Duke...
• Duke owns a 3-0-1 record this season in true road contests.
• The Blue Devils currently owns a 2-2-1 overall record this season against ranked opponents.
• The Blue Devils are averaging 20.9 shots a match and has taken 230 in 11 contests.
• In just her third match back, Mollie Pathman notched her first assist of the 2012 season and the 17th of her career.
• Duke has been ranked in the top 10 nationally for 19 straight weeks going back to last year. It is the longest streak in school history. The Blue Devils have been listed in the top six for a school-record 17 consecutive weeks.
• The Blue Devils have posted double-digit shots on goal in four matches this season -- Elon (17), San Diego (14), Clemson (14) and Miami (11).
• Dating back to last season, all six of the Blue Devil losses have been by one goal.
• Duke has scored 37 goals this year, which is more than eight Blue Devil teams - 2006 (29), 2001 (26),1998 (22), 1991 (33), 2005 (34), 2007 (34), 2009 (34) and 1988 (34). It is tied with two teams -- 2002 and 1996.
• All five of Duke’s defenders who have started has registered at least one assist on the year.
• Duke allowed a total of 13 goals a season ago, but has already let in 13 goals in 2012. Of the 13 goals, two have been own goals this season.
• The Blue Devils have outscored opponents, 20-5, in the first half this season.
• Eight different players have scored goals on the season.
• The Blue Devils have outshot their opponents, 112-34, in the first half this season.
• Tara Campbell (272) moved into third place on Duke’s all-time saves in the Florida State match passing Allison Lipsher (265).
• All 11 starters and 90.9 percent of scoring return in 2012 for the Blue Devils.
• For the first time in her career, redshirt junior Callie Simpkins scored two goals against Washington State, after coming off the bench. She owns eight career goals.

Weinberg Moving Up the Career Charts...
With her 29 career goals, Laura Weinberg now ranks fifth on Duke’s all-time scoring list, while her 68 points is ninth. She has 11 goals in 11 matches and four assists this year. Her career best in a season was 10 goals as a freshman.

In the Rankings...
Duke moved up one spot to No. 4 in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire ledger, while dropping to No. 5 in the Soccer America and CS360 polls. The Blue Devils remained No. 4 in the SoccerTimes polls.

Top Freshmen on Display...
Two of the top freshmen in the ACC will be on display on Sunday with Duke’s Cassie Pecht (4 goals, 7 assists) and Virginia’s Makenzy Doniak (7 goals, 5 assists).

Blue Devil Defense Nets Shutout...
For only the third time this season, the Blue Devils registered a shutout on Thursday against Clemson. Duke held the Lady Tigers to only four shots on the night and zero on goal. The Blue Devils have also notched shutouts against Elon and Washington State. Duke is coming off a season where it posted a school-record 16 shutouts a year ago.

Pecht Making Impact...
Coming in as a freshman, Cassie Pecht has made an immediate impact as she has totaled four goals and seven assists, while starting all 11 matches. She has notched a goal or assist in nine of the 11 contests this year. Pecht, who is out of Mechanicsburg, Pa., has played both the forward and midfield slots so far this season. She is coming off notching two assists against Clemson on Thursday.
Her seven assists on the season already ranks tied for the fourth-highest single-season total by a Duke freshman. The school record is 11 by Andi Melde.

Pathman & Cobb See Action...
Both Mollie Pathman and Kelly Cobb have returned to the Duke lineup since rejoining the team following the U-20 World Cup trip to Japan. Pathman has seen action in three matches and posted her first assist of the season against Maryland last week. Cobb returned against Maryland and played 67 minutes, while taking two shots.
Both Pathman and Cobb helped lead the U.S. U-20 World Cup team to the championship with a 1-0 victory over Germany. The duo were coached by Virginia’s Steve Swanson.

Duke in the NCAA Stats...
In the NCAA stats, the Blue Devils currently have two in the top 13 of points per game -- Laura Weinberg (10th, 2.2) and Kim DeCesare (13th, 2.11). Gilda Doria is 61st (1.5) and Cassie Pecht is 100th (1.3). In goals per game, Weinberg (9th, 0.9) and DeCesare (13th, 0.889) are ranked. Doria and Pecht are 40th with 0.5 assists per game. In total points, Weinberg is 10th (22) and DeCesare is 18th (19). Weinberg also ranks eighth with nine goals, while DeCesare is 20th with eight.
As a team, Duke ranks third in the nation with 33 goals and a 3.4 goals per game average. Central Arkansas leads the nation with 38 goals and a 3.80 average (all stats were prior to the Clemson match).

High Scoring Offense...
With its 3.36 goals per game average and 37 goals through 11 games, the Blue Devils are scoring like no other Blue Devil team coached by Robbie Church. The highest goals per game average for a season is 3.05 in 1989 with 67 goals in 22 matches.

In the ACC Stats...
The Blue Devils boast four players in the top 10 in points -- Laura Weinberg (1st, 26), Kim DeCesare (T4th, 19), Gilda Doria (7th, 1.45) and Cassie Pecht (T8th, 15). In goals, Weinberg (1st, 11) and DeCesare (4th, 8) are listed, while Pecht leads the league in assists (7). Doria is tied second (6), while Weinberg (4) and Kerr (4) are tied for 10th.
As a team, Duke leads the league in points (102), goals (34), goals per game (3.40), assists (34) and assists per game (3.40).